


you changed the state of my dreams

by minuteparticulars



Category: Teenage Bounty Hunters
Genre: beginning scene of episode 1x08, just a lot of fluff, sterling being soft for april
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26199571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minuteparticulars/pseuds/minuteparticulars
Summary: *Insert "Do you ever look at someone and wonder, what is going on inside their head" meme*aka what Sterling is thinking about during the opening scene of episode 1x08 when she can't stop staring at April in Spanish class.
Relationships: Sterling Wesley/April Stevens
Comments: 23
Kudos: 316





	1. Chapter 1

Slender fingers tangle in thick auburn hair as perfectly manicured and trimmed nails disappear behind a single strand – twisting around and around. Sterling feels herself getting dizzy as she follows the motion. Or maybe that’s just a side effect of being in close proximity to the other girl. Those same fingers reach up to smooth out her ponytail and Sterling has to stifle a sigh at the thought of how soft it would feel under her own hands.

Everything had happened so fast yesterday that there hadn’t really been time to find out for herself. She barely had time to get over the shock of April coming back at all – let alone kissing her back – to fully appreciate all of the possibilities. It had ended quickly too. There had been a few breathless seconds after they broke apart before an incoming text had startled April sending her racing from the room without so much as a glance back.

But now Sterling’s stuck sitting behind the object of her affection for the duration of this tortuously slow lesson which means she has plenty of time to appreciate.

And, oh, is there a lot to appreciate.

Just like that, the daydream shifts and she’s no longer in Ellen’s office recalling the details of that explosive kiss. Now, she’s pulling April into the storage closet they use to store all of Ellen’s Fellowship crafts and locking the door behind her.

She gives in to the fantasy, it's not like she was even remotely paying attention to the lesson at hand anyways. Not when she could be imagining herself with her back against the closet's shelving unit pulling April closer by her belt loops instead. From there it’s easy enough to let her imagination take over sending image after attractive image to consider. April looking up at her with that infuriatingly hot smirk. April inching closer until they’re sharing the same space, bodies pressed flushed against each other. Close enough to be intoxicated by the scent of her perfume – sweet like peaches and honey. An entirely different kind of drunk than Sterling’s last experience, but so much more enjoyable.

Even in her imagination, Sterling feels compelled to give in to the chemistry – the pull – between them immediately and dive in for another kiss. Another sharp taste of the peppermint chap stick April wears that she swears she can still taste this morning.

Turns out imaginary April is just as irresistible as the real deal.

Imaginary Sterling wants to take her time though. She wants to savor in a way she couldn’t yesterday. So she settles back into the daydream, one hand reaching up to shift some hair out of her face as imaginary Sterling does the same to April.

She can see it so clearly, the way April would tilt her head into the touch, her eyelids fluttering shut, before Sterling finally slides her hand back through those luscious auburn locks. She would lean in then and find April’s lips as her fingers find the hair tie and pull, letting soft waves fall loose. It’s almost too pretty to picture. April standing in front of her, chest rising with each labored breath, hair slightly disheveled from Sterling’s fingers, lips swollen from their kiss.

Imaginary Sterling doesn’t have a chance to go back in for another bruising kiss before Blair interrupts – rather rudely in her opinion – with more rambling about their mom. Unfortunately, Blair’s outburst is enough to attract the attention of Señora O'Reilly as well.

A few minutes later, Sterling retakes her seat after a truly disastrous attempt at conversation with Luke. In her defense, she can’t really be expected to hold an entire conversation in English let alone Spanish when those piercing blue eyes are focused on her. There’s just something about the way April looks at her. Like she’s cataloging every inch, every minute detail, to explore later. Even when they were sworn enemies she always looked at Sterling like she could see all of her, completely laid bare. At least that’s how it felt every time she was on the receiving end of that intense gaze.

Only now it’s so much worse because she knows what it feels like to have that intensity aimed at her for an entirely different reason. A very pleasant and distracting reason.

Almost distracting enough to miss the fact that Señora O'Reilly has started passing out papers to the class. Papers that will have to be passed back. Papers that will provide a convenient excuse for April to turn around and actually talk to her. Up until now, April has been nothing but studied avoidance and carefully crafted indifference in class. Aside from a brief flash of panic at the mention of Sterling’s night during that awkward conversation, April has been frustratingly hard to read.

In a moment of panic all her own, Sterling wonders if April regrets what happened. Maybe it wasn’t as good as Sterling remembers? Oh gosh, what if she’s actually a terrible kisser? It’s not like Luke would have known one way or another to give her the heads up. Kissing Luke had been pleasant enough, but not exactly eye-opening. Kissing April on the other hand… now that had been an entirely different kind of experience. Like discovering a new frozen yogurt flavor profile, only a million times better. Eye-opening didn’t even begin to cover it.

So no, it can’t be about the _quality_ of the kiss. That kiss was an A-plus kiss. Their second of the day. And Sterling knows how much April appreciates a job well done. She wouldn’t have kissed her back if she thought it was anything less than A worthy. So April must have felt the sparks too. Sterling can still feel them now – crackling as the tension pulls taut in the space between their desks. If the way April’s shoulders tense the closer Señora O'Reilly gets to their row is any indication, she feels it too.

If it’s not the kiss itself, then what? Maybe April’s avoiding her because she’s planning on reverting back to their old roles and pretending that it never happened in the first place. Pretend that she hadn’t tilted Sterling’s entire world on its axis with a single kiss. Pretend that she hadn’t wrapped her arm around Sterling’s waist with a tenderness that belied the urgency of their kiss. She’s really not sure she can handle that today. The stand-offish, snarky April that the rest of the school sees on a regular basis. Not when she’s sure her feelings are written all over her face, easy pickings for the school’s reigning queen bee if she chooses.

Too late to do anything but hope for the best, Sterling watches as April takes a deep breath and turns around. She's hit with the full force of those blue eyes and flushed cheeks. Sterling's eyes drop to the other girls lips without thought before she catches herself. Anticipation bubbles up in her chest so wildly that when her mouth opens to start the conversation she feels like actual bubbles will spill out instead and she has to swallow a second time before she tries again.

Worried that she’s been too obvious already with all her staring she ends up blurting out the first thing she can think of to deflect. If anything it just ends up making her look even more suspicious. What she wouldn’t give for Blair’s twin powers to activate right about now and come save her from this embarrassment.

April’s response is dry and detached. She almost convinces Sterling with the unaffected act too, but the way April blushes and pulls her hand back like she’s been burned when Sterling drops the papers gives her away.

Sterling could kick herself for being such a disaster. Of course the moment’s ruined before it even began.

She desperately wants April to turn back around and smile at her in that endearingly uncertain way she does when she’s feeling vulnerable. The kind of smile Sterling’s only ever seen directed towards her. She’d even settle for knowing if April feels as flustered right now as she does. Despite her wishes, Blair chooses this opportunity to insert herself, a moment too late and with far too little awareness of her twin’s current state.

Just like that the mood shifts. Sterling knows that April won’t engage again. Not during class. Not with Blair and her vitriol just a seat away. But that’s okay, she can wait. She resolves to talk to April as soon as the bell rings. Surely that’s any minute now. Shooting a glance towards the clock on the far wall Sterling groans under her breath as the minute hand hovers just over the thirty minute mark. Still a half an hour to go.

Placing her chin back in the palm of her hand Sterling settles in for the remainder of class as April's fingers take up their routine once more raking through the strands of her ponytail, the blush from earlier just starting to fade from the tips of her ears leaving only an alluring flush down the back of her neck. Sterling bites her lip hard at the sight and fights back a blush of her own.

At least she has a nice distraction to pass the time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April reflects back on her night with Sterling after the lock-in meeting and, for once, lets herself look forward to what might come next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two! I know I said this chapter would be April's perspective on the lock-in itself, but I enjoyed writing Sterling's inner thoughts so much I figured I would try it with April as well, before diving into a chapter with both of them. 
> 
> Next chapter will be the night of the lock-in, promise!

If you had told April Stevens a week ago that she would be sneaking back into her house after curfew she would have laughed in your face. If you had said it was because she lost track of time making out with a girl in the school parking lot... she would have suggested you find yourself a good psychiatrist. And to never talk to her again.

Turns out, a lot can change in the span of a week.

She has Sterling Wesley to thank for that. Perfect, goody two-shoes, holier than thou Sterling Wesley. The same girl she swore she wouldn’t let in again after she gave April away in fifth grade, breaking her heart in the process. Gorgeous, brave, unfailingly kind Sterling Wesley. The one girl she just can’t seem to shake.

It’s like there’s a kind of magnetism there that only April can feel. Almost as if she’s attuned to her frequency. At least that’s how it feels when April hears the other girl’s laugh cut through the noise of their shared Spanish class with ease. Or when she catches a whiff of Sterling’s perfume in the hallway long after she’s passed.

In the past when something like that happened April would overcompensate. Lash out. Anything to push Sterling away. She's been doing it for so long now she's an expert at it.

That’s not to say that it isn’t hard on her. Some days the look of betrayal on Sterling’s face – even after all this time – is enough to send the burning sensation swirling in her gut up through her chest like wildfire. On those days, she goes home and allows herself to be honest – just for a moment – in the midst of this facade she’s created. Just one precious moment to imagine what it could be like if she didn’t have to play this game day in and day out.

In those moments, she pictures Sterling lying next to her in her queen bed, blonde hair spread out on the cornflower blue pillowcase laughing in response to something witty April just said. Maybe even something charming. Whatever it is, it’s always enough to get her to roll over and steal April’s breath with the softest of kisses. Just a whisper of lips and the lingering taste of cherry from the lollipops Sterling’s always bringing to Fellowship.

Sometimes, though, it’s less innocent than that. On those nights, April forgets to hate how much of the facade isn’t fake at all. On those nights, that Sterling likes the more _commanding_ aspects of her personality. That Sterling always asks for more, harder. That Sterling doesn’t mind that sometimes April craves control.

Regardless of where her thoughts take her, when she wakes up the next morning the burning is back. And it’s for the best, really. Whatever she wants to call it – self-loathing, self-preservation, just plain old fear – that burn reminds her of why she has to hide. And why it wouldn’t matter even if she stopped. She’s gone too far – made too many mistakes – to ever have anything real with Sterling again.

At least that’s what she thought, up until the exact moment straight-laced Sterling – in a long-term relationship with my boyfriend – Wesley kissed her.

Needless to say, April’s been re-evaluating a lot of things lately.

Like how, despite all the odds, she might actually get to spend the night sleeping next to the girl she likes. Not a figment of her imagination, but the actual thing. It’ll take some careful planning. Probably a fair bit of luck. But if it works then the lock-in might be the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with the girl she likes without anyone catching on. 

It almost doesn’t feel real. Truthfully, if she hadn’t just spent most of the night making out with Sterling in the back of the other girl’s car she might think it was all some elaborate dream. But what they just did… that was most definitely real.

April shuts the door to her room as quietly as she can before she spins around pressing her back against the wood to collect herself. Whether it’s from the relief of not being caught or the surge of heat coursing through her at the reminder of the night’s activities, her knees feel too weak to hold herself up without assistance right now.

Unbidden, the image of Sterling sitting across from her in the backseat of the Chevy Volt – out of breath and chasing after her lips for another kiss – flashes across her mind. Her face grows hot as she recalls the moment now with vivid clarity. The way the windows had fogged up leaving them totally obscured to the outside world. The tiny whimpers she managed to draw out every time she sucked on Sterling’s lower lip and the way each one fueled her ever-growing need further. The way said need made her reveal desires she thought she had buried deep down, reserved only for those rare nights by herself.

With only a few words she had ruined everything. She was sure of it. Why couldn’t she just tone it down for one night? _Ravage you_ – really – who even says stuff like that? She had already calculated her escape route ready to pull the handle and bolt.

That is until she heard Sterling’s answer.

After that it had been hard to stop. All of April’s earlier reservations about their relationship flickered away with every beat of Sterling’s pulse under her lips. Suddenly her perfectly pressed button-down was too restricting. Sterling’s polo shirt covered far too much tempting skin.

She could have spent all night finding new exciting ways to make Sterling pant her name. If Blair hadn’t kept calling until Sterling answered she might have done just that.

In the end Sterling had driven her home, careful to keep both hands on the wheel, only glancing over when the light was red. She would have found it all very chivalrous if her own hands weren’t itching to throw the car into park so she could climb over into the other girl’s lap and pick up where they left off. April spent the whole drive with a painful grip on her bag and a head full of ideas.

She does her best to push those ideas to the side now as she gets ready for bed. She catches her reflection in the mirror as she’s turning out the light and knows she’s failed miserably when she sees how red her cheeks are _still._

Stopping when they did was for the best. She knows that. They’ve barely been together more than forty-eight hours and she’s already hopelessly lost in the other girl. Completely and utterly turned around. It’s just hard to ignore the voice that says she’s been waiting for this for so long now. Or the other voice – the jealous one – that reminds her of the tightness in her chest when she found out Sterling was having sex with Luke Creswell. Bumbling, oblivious, amorphous Luke Creswell. And the whole time she had to pretend like it wasn’t eating her alive.

Only it wasn’t Luke Creswell with his hand inching towards the back pocket of Sterling’s jeans just minutes ago. It wasn’t Luke Creswell peeling the collar of her polo shirt aside to place reverent kisses on her collarbone. And it certainly wasn’t Luke Creswell making Sterling’s hips jump with the deliberate press of a thumb into the hollow of her hipbone. A sensitive spot apparently.

She can’t help the satisfied thrill that rushes through her as she files it all away for later. For research purposes, of course. She is an excellent student, after all, and Sterling Wesley is a subject she’s happy to take. If things keep going the way they are now she’ll have plenty of time to become fully versed on the topic.

Just as she’s plugging her phone in for the night it chimes signaling an incoming text. A love-sick smile spreads across her face without permission as she reads Sterling’s message. In between all of the exclamation points and kissy-face emojis she manages to decipher that Sterling made it home in one piece. She doesn’t miss the bit at the end where Sterling mentions that she’ll be dreaming of April.

The wink emoji that follows the “sweet dreams xx” is what really does it though. It’s just so Sterling. A little silly. A little daring. But always, always so sincere. April doesn’t know how she does it with such ease.

She agonizes over what to send in reply before she settles on “good night, Sterling”.

Simple.

Safe.

Classic.

A second message sends before she even knows what’s happening, a kissy-face emoji of her own. She glares down at her traitorous hands, her heart beating far too quickly from a simple text to be normal.

Sterling Wesley is going to be the death of her it seems. If she’s this flustered by a text she can only imagine the absolute wreckage that will be left behind after she spends all night with Sterling. Locked in. At school. In front of all of their classmates.

She waits for the usual feeling of dread to creep in and steal her happiness all over again. Instead, there’s nothing but excitement. Maybe a smidge of nervousness. And as she crawls into bed, she can’t resist sliding a hand over the empty space next to her unable to keep yet another smile at bay.

So be it. No matter the wreckage – to her reputation or her heart. If it means she gets to keep Sterling, she’ll happily suffer it all. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third and final chapter where we pretend that John Stevens never came home, Sterling never pressured April to come out, and they spent the whole night together at the lock-in. 
> 
> Enjoy!

When April finally arrives at the school the lock-in is already in full swing. Ellen will be disappointed that she wasn’t there to help set up the scavenger hunt, but this was all part of the plan. The plan Sterling had quickly dubbed “Operation Narwhal” after her speech at the arcade. Just thinking about the look of excitement on the other girl’s face when she came up with the name is enough to twist April’s stomach into knots.

She tries to tamp down the nerves as she moves on to phase two. They had agreed that April would show up late so she wouldn’t get roped into sleeping next to Hannah B and Ezequiel. Then – once she had successfully evaded detection – she was supposed to find a more secluded corner. Somewhere away from the rest of the Juniors. Somewhere more private.

Privacy with Sterling Wesley. Her heart rate picks up as she starts to wonder exactly what they might do tonight with said privacy. She has a few ideas, but she doesn’t have a read on where Sterling is with all of this which scares her more than she would care to admit.

Sure, there’s been a lot of communication between them to set this all up. Since the night of the planning meeting though April hasn’t actually _seen_ Sterling. It’s been all text messages and the occasional Instagram post. They Face-timed once, but Sterling had seemed pretty preoccupied at the time. Something about getting into a fight with Blair and telling her about the two of them. That certainly hadn’t helped her nerves about tonight. Blair hasn’t exactly been shy in the past about letting April know what she thinks of her. She doesn’t imagine that will change just because she's making out with her sister now.

None of that matters though. She’s not here for Blair. She’s here to spend the night with her… girlfriend? That’s another thing. They hadn’t really defined what they are yet. Are they an actual thing or is this just something new and fun for now? April knows which one she wants it to be. What she doesn’t know is how to handle it if Sterling doesn’t want the same thing.

Her thoughts are racing as she hurries through the school to find a suitable spot. Eventually she finds a corner in one of the classrooms at the end of the East hall. A row of desks pushed up against the wall separates it from the rest of the sleeping bags already set up and all it takes is her patented glare to have the Senior about to claim it for herself slouching off to find a new spot. 

Satisfied with herself, April starts setting up the space. Sleeping bag rolled out. Slippers and overnight bag placed next to it conveniently blocking the spot until Sterling gets there. Breath mints stored away just in case. All that’s missing is Sterling. Her fingers hover over her phone as she stares down at the last message between them.

She’s supposed to text Sterling the location now. The final phase of their plan. So why can’t she make her fingers type? She goes to take a deep breath and her lungs don’t expand. She’s left with shallow breaths and a shuttered feeling in her chest. Brilliant. There were only three parts to the plan and a panic attack was never one of them.

The girls restroom is blessedly empty as April rushes in. She double checks that the door is locked before she catches herself on the sink. Thankfully, the slick porcelain under her palms and familiar fluorescent lighting above are strangely calming. She makes it through the first verse and half of the chorus from Slow Burn before her breathing starts to even out.

There’s a fleeting moment where her courage fails her completely. She considers turning around and leaving. Just packing up her stuff and texting Sterling that she came down with some kind of stomach bug. This fear – the fear of being found out – threatens to swallow her whole.

Rationally, she knows that won’t happen. They had agreed to take things slow. She could tell Sterling was a little disappointed, but she had also assured April that they wouldn’t do anything she wasn’t comfortable with. It was just supposed to be two sleeping bags next to each other. Maybe some light making out in the storage closet if they managed to sneak away. And then – once the lights were off and everyone else had fallen asleep – they could just be together. Side by side. 

Sterling had texted last night that just sharing the same space was enough for her and April had been forced to shove her phone under her pillow before she did something reckless.

Rationally, she knows tonight should be fine. Emotionally though, she’s just waiting for the other shoe to drop. April Stevens doesn’t get to have something as precious as this with Sterling Wesley. And after everything she’s done, Sterling Wesley shouldn’t want to spend the night with her. Yet, somehow, she ended up here. Standing in the school bathroom in her new pajamas – the same ones she picked out during a last minute trip to the mall earlier today – waiting for _her girl_ to show up.

She shakes her head at herself as she recalls standing in the store thinking about what Sterling would like best. She went with this set in the end because the flamingos seemed like something Sterling might pick. The fact that these particular shorts happen to show off her legs definitely didn’t factor into her decision at all.

Any pretense she had about not caring went out the window though once she spent thirty minutes picking out lip gloss and curling her hair into the loose soft waves Sterling likes.

God help her… she’s in deep.

Enough. She’s never been the kind of girl to back down from a challenge before and she’s not going to start now. Sterling is probably out there waiting for her and she’s in here fretting over things she can’t change. If Sterling wants her to be brave then that’s exactly what she’ll be.

She sends Sterling a text and spends a few seconds touching up her lip gloss before exiting the bathroom. As she turns the corner, the sight at the other end of the hallway stops her in her tracks. Sterling Wesley looks like a vision in silky blue pajamas, a few strands of hair framing her face, wearing the softest smile April’s ever seen. Her gaze catches on that smile causing her to notice the slight pink shimmer of the other girl’s lips. Looks like she isn’t the only one who came prepared. 

She feels this ridiculous urge to run to her. Collapse the seemingly endless stretch of hallway between them and crash into her lips. Before she can do any of that though another figure cuts into the space between them. April feels her heart sink as Luke eagerly seeks Sterling out having saved her a spot of his own. A new feeling surges wild and hot in her chest.

Hatred. She hates Luke. She hates his stupid presumptions and the way he wears his feelings for Sterling on his sleeve. It’s so easy for him.

April wishes for the millionth time that it was that easy for her.

She’s preparing herself for the inevitable when the unthinkable happens instead. April watches as the two exchange a few words and then Sterling’s brushing past him without a second look. She catches the dejected look that spreads across Luke’s face as he heads back to the Fellowship room alone. Her earlier hatred turns to guilt. She can’t even imagine how painful it is to be rejected by Sterling.

She really hopes she never has to find out.

Any guilt she feels about Luke is quickly overtaken by the sheer relief of being chosen by Sterling Wesley. With a start she realizes that it’s just the two of them in the hallway again. And she still hasn’t moved. She can’t move. Not with the way Sterling’s looking at her right now. Like she can’t believe April is actually here. If only she knew. Forget a three-step plan. April would move heaven and earth to be here with Sterling and – for once – that thought doesn’t scare her at all.

* * *

_Wow._

That’s all she can think when she turns the corner and lays eyes on April. Somewhere between _she looks so good in white_ and _holy hell her legs,_ Sterling manages to take a few steps closer.

Her staring is rudely interrupted by Luke’s larger frame and she has to clench her fists to keep from shoving him out of the way. She vaguely hears something about sitting together during the sing-a-long – too distracted by the prize waiting for her on the other end of the hall – but she snaps back to the conversation at hand when he mentions sleeping together. 

“Sorry, what?” she asks hoping she heard him wrong.

“Yeah I figured we could sleep next to each other, you know, just like old times,” Luke replies.

Sterling wracks her brain for a way to shoot him down without raising suspicion. She had promised April they would take things slow. Telling her ex that she would much rather sleep with April than him doesn’t seem like slow. Besides, she doesn’t _want_ to hurt Luke. She just has… other plans for tonight. And she didn’t spend her evening painstakingly picking out the perfect outfit while Blair teased her to waste it on Luke.

As gently as she can she responds, “Uh, actually I was going to put my stuff with April’s.” She rushes to finish her thought as Luke’s expression morphs from excitement to confusion. “It’s just that we have so much to do tonight still with the scavenger hunt and everything that it just… made sense,” she trails off.

She knows Luke doesn’t understand, not really, but even saying that out loud is enough to make her head spin. Her and April _do_ make sense. Her and April. Gosh, she likes the sound of that. 

Luke’s talking again, but Sterling can’t wait any longer. She offers a half-hearted apology and a quick squeeze to his arm as she steps around him. There’s the sound of reluctant footfalls and then – finally – it’s just the two of them again.

The air feels electric as she catches April’s eye. There’s something there that she doesn’t quite recognize. Almost like April’s gearing up for a fight. The fleeting thought that April might want to fight _for her_ sends a jolt through her. The kind that settles deep in her gut and makes her skin feel hot all over. She’s no stranger to the effect April has on her when she’s angry so this really shouldn’t surprise her.

Possessive April is something else though.

Sterling’s feet are moving before the rest of her catches up. Closing the distance, she swears the other girl’s eyes drop to her chest for a moment before they snap down to her feet. A light blush settles across April’s cheeks and Sterling would kiss her right now if they didn’t have to worry about wandering classmates.

Instead, she thanks Blair for suggesting this particular top as she fiddles with the hem. Anything to keep her hands to herself. Which is totally not hard to do right now. Not at all. Endless patience, that’s her.

April looks back up at her from under her lashes – her lower lip caught between her teeth – and Sterling isn’t even sure she could spell patience anymore let alone practice it.

“Hi, Sterl.” April’s voice floats in the space left between them, soft and a little unsure.

She wants to put April at ease, but all that comes out is a high-pitched greeting of her own that has April chuckling awkwardly and rubbing her thumb across her palm. A nervous tick that Sterling had noticed right before their first kiss.

Thinking back to her bravery in that moment, she resolves to do better. April had shown up. She had shown up and she had saved Sterling a spot and she’s still here now. She knows how hard all of that must have been. If April can step out on the ledge for her she can at least join her there.

Steeling herself to try again, she reaches out to take April’s hands in her own.

“I’m really happy you’re here,” she doesn’t fight the grin that spreads across her face, “and that we get to be here together.”

April’s gaze had been drawn to their hands, but at this she locks eyes with Sterling.

“I _suppose_ I’m happy that you’re here too,” April replies. She flashes that infuriating smirk – the one that drives Sterling crazy – as she continues, “otherwise I would have to finish this scavenger hunt all by myself.”

Sterling can see this for the deflection it is from a mile away. She knows how April operates. She’s not willing to let this moment go so easily, but that doesn’t mean she can’t have some fun of her own.

“Oh, and is that the only reason you’re happy to see me?” she flirts back as she leans in even closer. Close enough to hear the way April’s breath hitches in response.

“N-no,” April breathes out all teasing gone in an instant. Her body sways forward until they’re sharing the same air and Sterling knows if she doesn’t get to kiss this girl soon she’s going to combust.

“Why don’t we put your stuff down and then maybe—" April cuts herself off as a loud cheer goes up from the other room.

“Come on,” April jerks her head towards the classroom, “we really should make sure the clues are all in place before Ellen sets them loose.”

“They’re not animals, April,” Sterling admonishes though she can’t help the laugh that escapes at the sneer on April’s lips.

“I’m not so sure of that,” April is already steering her towards the back of the room and dropping her bag off, “besides they’ll only interrupt and I want you all to myself tonight.”

She says it so matter-of-factly that Sterling almost misses it. When her brain catches up she can feel the heat spread from her cheeks all the way down to her chest and she knows it must be so obvious to April. Who still hasn’t let go of her hand as she drags her out of the classroom. And who is also studiously avoiding Sterling’s gaze as the tips of her ears turns bright red.

Feeling emboldened by the sight, Sterling speaks up as she tries to keep the hurried pace April’s set, “I like the sound of that. I kind of want you all to myself all the time. Like, don’t get me wrong, I love Blair and I even like most of our classmates, but most of the time I just wish everyone else was gone so we could be... us.”

She knows she’s rambling. She just doesn’t know how to stop. Not when she finally has the chance to say what’s on her mind. Weeks of pent up feelings are on the tip of her tongue when April whips around stopping her mid-thought.

“You really want me?” April asks like it’s a surprise. Like the evidence hasn’t been laid before her since the moment Sterling first realized it’s all she wants. Like she can’t feel the way Sterling is vibrating right now with the need to touch her.

She doesn’t mean to laugh. It’s just so absurd to her, the thought that April might not know. April clearly doesn’t think so though judging by the hurt that flickers across her face before she folds in on herself dropping Sterling’s hand in the process.

Sterling panics and grabs onto her retreating hand before April can shut down completely. She spots the teacher’s lounge just off to their right and drags April inside. She dimly recalls a discussion with Hannah B. where they decided not to hide any clues in here because it felt wrong. Like they would be violating the unspoken rule that kept students out during school hours.

Sterling couldn’t care less about the rules right now though. All she knows is that she upset April and she needs to fix it. Preferably somewhere they won’t be found. The teacher’s lounge will have to do.

April looks like she would rather be anywhere but here. By the time Sterling locks the door and turns back around she won’t even look up at her. Which is completely unacceptable because Sterling loves her eyes. She loves a lot of things about April. She just needs April to know that.

Taking it as a good sign when April doesn’t flinch away, Sterling places a cautious hand on the other girl’s waist. With her other hand she tucks a stray piece of hair behind April’s ear taking time to linger on the soft skin she finds back there. As she drags her hand down to trace her jaw, April’s hand shoots up to hold it in place. She leans into Sterling’s hand as her eyes flutter shut letting out the breath she was holding.

Sterling never wants this moment to end. April looks so unguarded right now and she still can’t believe she gets to see this side of her. But she has some explaining to do and April deserves to hear it all.

“I wasn’t laughing at you, I swear.” Sterling tilts her hand up urging April to look at her, “It was more like I was laughing at myself. I feel like I’ve been so obvious about all of this,” she shrugs her shoulders at that before she continues, “I just assumed you already knew. But I’m happy to tell you now. I really really like you, April,” her thumb is so close to April’s lips that when they part in surprise it ends up resting on her bottom lip. She can’t resist stroking her thumb across it and nearly passes out when April whimpers in response. 

She has to take a second before she carries on, determined to finish what she started.

“When I wake up in the morning I’m already thinking about you. I think about whether you’re going to have your hair up or down that day. I think about how soft your lips are and how crazy it is that I know that now. I think about how much you care – how much passion you have – and how lucky I am to get to see it. To get to _feel_ that. Do you have any idea—"

Searing lips cut her off as April springs forward. Sterling feels herself being pulled forward and she goes willingly until April is pressed up against the counter. April’s clutching at Sterling’s hip and pushing up on her toes to nip at Sterling’s lips and it feels so good she nearly forgets that there was something…

April tangles her other hand in Sterling’s hair and pulls just as she bites down on her lower lip and Sterling feels herself about to surrender.

“Wait. Wait just let me—" Sterling pulls back a bit to regain a semblance of control.

The sight before her is nearly enough to strip it all away again.

April’s pupils are blown wide and her lip gloss is smudged. Sterling knows that if she were to lick her lips right now she would taste it. April runs a shaky hand through her hair and Sterling’s entranced by the way it settles across her shoulders. Her throat goes dry as her eyes follow the criminally-low neckline of April’s top down to where it meets in the middle. The fact that April has started twirling her necklace between her fingers while she waits for Sterling isn’t helping either.

April must notice the state she’s in and decide to take pity on her. Dropping the necklace, she reaches out to settle a hand on Sterling’s arm.

“Take your time,” April tells her before she quirks a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, “but not too much time. I would like to kiss you again at some point tonight.”

“Me too. I mean, I would also like to kiss you again,” Sterling blurts out, feeling tongue-tied by just about everything this girl does. “I just wanted to say that I think you look beautiful tonight, that’s it.” She shoots April a sheepish grin as she waits for her to roll her eyes or make another sarcastic comment about wasting their precious alone time.

“That’s—. You’re—,” For a moment April looks like she might cry and Sterling is sure she’s made another mistake when she hears, “Thank you for noticing. I wanted to— I wanted to look nice tonight.”

The “ _for you”_ goes unsaid, but Sterling hears it all the same.

“I know the feeling,” she replies as her heart pounds away in her chest, “I must have tried on thirty different outfits before Blair told me if I didn’t pick this one and leave she was going to start texting you the most embarrassing photos she has of me!”

April laughs at that, a real full-belly laugh, and it makes the desire simmering away in her gut flare up all over again. Leave it to April to be unfairly attractive in every possible way.

“Well, thank Blair for me would you,” Aprils drawls as she dips a finger into the front of Sterling’s shirt just above the top button and pulls her back in. Sterling feels her knees goes weak and she’s helpless to do anything but follow.

She can feel April’s breath on her neck as she leans up to whisper, “And tell her she’s welcome to send those pictures any time she wants.” Sterling’s retort dies on her lips as April punctuates the message by nipping at her ear. She stays there to sooth it with her lips and a moan escapes before Sterling can stop it.

“Oh, I definitely want to hear that again,” April breathes out as she continues her onslaught down Sterling’s neck.

It takes a second for her brain to kick back into gear, but once it does she decides to take matters into her own hands. Figuratively and literally, as it were. She starts out slow. One hand slides into April’s hair. The other rests on April’s hip urging her on. She leaves it there for a second before it slides down past April’s silk pajama shorts until she feels warm, smooth skin.

As her hand brushes up under the hem and lands on April’s thigh she feels the other girl’s breath stutter. She stills her hand waiting for a sign to tell her if this is okay.

“Don’t you dare stop,” April growls as she grasps Sterling’s collar to pull her in for a hard kiss.

“Never,” Sterling gasps out in between kisses that are more desperate by the second.

As far as she’s concerned, she would be okay doing this for the rest of her life.

* * *

Sterling Wesley really knows how to kiss. It doesn’t matter that she’s never kissed anyone else. April knows with absolute certainty that Sterling is really good at this. She can feel it in her bones. She can feel it in a lot of places actually. And it’s making her forget her own request to take things slow.

She wants to take Sterling’s promise of never and run with it. She wants to stay in this room all night. She wants to learn all of the ways to make Sterling moan like she did before. She knows better though. Soon they’ll have to go back and join the rest of their classmates who are probably close to finishing up the scavenger hunt by now.

Maybe it’s the knowledge that any minute this will come to an end. Or maybe it’s the growing hunger she feels clawing its way up with every shift of Sterling against her. Whatever it is, April feels like taking a risk. With Sterling’s hand high up on her thigh and her skin on fire she reaches up to pop open her top button followed quickly by the next.

Before she gets to the third her feet leave the floor. Sure hands slide around her thighs and lift her up onto the counter. Her mouth opens and closes for a second caught between surprise and blinding arousal. Sterling steps in between her legs as she toys with April’s collar.

“That’s so unfair,” Sterling whines as her gaze drifts down to the new expanse of skin exposed. April can’t even feel smug about it. She’s too turned on and she needs Sterling to do something about it.

“Baby, I need—" She doesn’t hear it at first, but then Sterling’s freezing in place and she’s retracing her steps and it hits her. Her eyes go wide as Sterling’s head snaps up. The panic sets in and she has to get out of here, but Sterling’s in her way and she still hasn’t moved at all. The silence is unbearable. She can already feel herself reverting back to her usual defensiveness when suddenly Sterling is kissing her so softly she’s not entirely sure she didn’t imagine it.

“You can say that again, if you want,” Sterling tells her with something like awe in her voice. “I liked it. It makes me feel like I’m yours…” Sterling trails off as she slips her hand up to rub soft circles into the skin just above April’s hip.

 _Yours._ April’s whole body shudders as the word leaves Sterling’s lips. It’s nothing compared to the tremor that rocks through her though when Sterling leans down to place her lips against the skin just above her collar. She shifts until her hips slot against Sterling’s as her head falls back. She just prays that Sterling will keep going.

Sterling places one maddeningly gentle kiss after another across her chest and April’s on the verge of begging for more when the door to the teacher’s lounge shudders with impact. Someone passes by celebrating their scavenger hunt victory and soon after the sound of stampeding footsteps follows. That’s their cue. Time to go back to pretending they only tolerate each other until the lights go out.

“Guess we should head back, huh?” Sterling asks. Her hands are resting on April’s hips now and she looks just as wrecked as April feels. But then she’s offering April her hand to help her down off the counter and smoothing out April’s shirt for her like she wasn’t just about to remove it entirely.

April feels herself melt under the other girl’s care, any lingering frustration fading away with the promise of more. The night’s not over yet. She still has time to make it count. To make all of the hiding and scheming worth it.

They each make sure the other is presentable again before they make their way back to the Fellowship room. When they get there, April ends up staying by Sterling’s side. There’s no reason why she can’t sit with her. Ezequiel’s inquisitive look says otherwise, but she chooses to ignore it for the comfort of keeping Sterling close.

The rest of the night passes uneventfully, but April does her best to remember every moment. She catalogues the scandalized look she gets when she tries to convince Sterling that pizza should be eaten crust first. The way Sterling almost chokes on said pizza when Slow Burn comes on. The quick glances they share in the bathroom mirror as they brush their teeth. The way Sterling always seems to know where she is and makes space for her like it’s as natural as breathing. Every moment adds to her growing collection of all things Sterling.

By the time they’re tucked into their sleeping bags and Ellen has made her final rounds April is exhausted. Between the nerves leading up to tonight and the exhilaration of earlier she feels like she could fall asleep the second her head hits her pillow. There’s just one last thing she has to do. Her own secret step four of “Operation Narwhal”.

As Sterling zips up her sleeping bag, April rolls to face her reaching out to find her hand in the dark. With Sterling’s hand clasped in her own resting in the space between them April lets her eyes drift close.

This time though, she knows that when she opens them in the morning Sterling Wesley will still be next to her. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it! I'm working on a part two from April's perspective that focuses on what the lock-in might have looked like if John Stevens didn't ruin everything so hopefully I can post that soon!


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